Last year, the only thing on everybody’s mind was the presidential nomination race, and now that the pot has mostly settled, we all get to just sit and wait for November. But the rest of the world hasn’t really stopped boiling over, what with Putin embracing the good ol’ battle days, and the media hurricane that was the Beijing Olympics. Looming on the horizon, however, are the repercussions of a post-Olympic China, fueled by Olympic success and brimming with national pride.China has been pouring money into Nigeria and South Africa, among other developing countries, for years without any political demands. What started off as merely economic investments has increasingly become an imperialistic colonization and assimilation attempt by the Chinese.

With China winning the Olympics they themselves hosted, ousting America from its spot at the top, the country is poised to take full advantage of becoming a first-world power. But what comes next?

China has only recently become a major political and economic force, albeit one full of scandal. From human rights violations, to corruption scandals, Beijing’s leaders present an enigmatic position, where morality and ethical behavior is not necessarily the order of business.

And with Africa, China has proven to be a morally disinterested party, giving aid to despots and so-called “democratically” elected presidents, without restriction or sanction.

Nigeria has been a focal point of Chinese investment and aid over the past two years, raking in almost $5 billion in infrastructure investment between April and May of 2006 alone, according to the BBC News. Oil and natural resources are being heavily invested in as well, with several state companies wielding sizeable stakes in the country’s oil market.

Despite the fervor with which the Chinese are pouring money into the continent, many African nations are starting to grumble aloud. But it is in Nigeria that Africa is beginning to fight back against the Sino-assimilation. During the Olympics, Nigerians boycotted Chinese stores and products in Nigeria, while in Beijing protests broke out into anti-foreigner rallies, directed against both the French and the Nigerians living in the capital.

As natural resources are being funneled out of Africa, and unrestricted economic aid pours in, the potential for both prosperity and decay is there. With China securing more and more oil fields and other resources, infrastructure and jobs are being created, and with that comes hospitals, schools and government buildings. More jobs means more consumer spending money, which would be spent buying mostly Chinese-made goods, from Chinese owned stores.

But what does Africa get out of this deal?

For the immediate future, not a whole lot. Sure, there is a massive amount of investing that is going on, but the money goes primarily to Chinese companies and interests. What money does make it into the hands of politicians only ends up in their pockets, at least considering Africa’s track record with political corruption.

And in places like South Africa, the Chinese are being awarded the right to benefit from apartheid reparations programs, having been reclassified as being a minority that suffered oppression and hardship during the apartheid, according to the China Journal.

As China emerges as a first-world power, having successfully hosted the first Olympics they’ve won, the People’s Republic is looking to expand its influence on the world stage, vying to challenge America as the dominant power in the years to come. Although we are only seeing the beginnings of China’s colonization and African assimilation, Africa is already beginning to feel the effects of imperialism, once again.